SYDNEY: The Austr-alian government will legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

Australia has started trial of an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date.

“Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese told a news conference.

He cited the risks to physical and mental health of children from excessive social media use, in particular the risk to girls from harmful depictions of body image, and misogynist content aimed at boys.

“If you’re a 14-year-old kid getting this stuff, at a time where you’re going through life’s changes and maturing, it can be a really difficult time and what we’re doing is listening and then acting,” he said.

A number of countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, though Austr­alia’s policy is one of the most stringent.

No jurisdiction so far has tried using age verification methods like biometrics or government identification to enforce a age cutoff, two of the methods being tried.

Australia’s other world-first proposals are the highest age limit set by any country, no exemption for parental consent and no exemption for pre-existing accounts.

Legislation will be introduced this year, with the laws coming into effect 12 months later, he said, adding that the onus would be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access.

The opposition Liberal Party has expressed support for a ban.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2024